Saturday, October 30, 2010

Reminder, only one day left in this contest! Entries are due Oct. 31. Read on ...

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Greetings! ScoreKeeper here to infuse your mind with good old fashioned education. This past month I posted several articles about the new book entitled The Music of THE LORD OF THE RINGS Films by Doug Adams. I wrote a brief review outlining my thoughts about the tome and interviewed the author about his experience writing it.

Now is your chance to own a copy of this glorious book for yourself. I've got one copy to give away to somebody who will forever love and cherish this epic treasure of film music analysis. [READ MORE and ENTER THE CONTEST here]

"Now and then, I find a book that would help my readers better appreciate a stage or screen work or a personality in the musical performing arts. A good example is a hefty book titled "The Music of the Lord of the Rings Films: A Comprehensive Account of Howard Shore’s Scores" by Doug Adams (Carpentier 2010)."

"I believe that every college film and music department should have a copy of this book. The same goes for those thousands who simply love the Ring films enough to put in the effort to understand how the music helped make them so popular." [READ MORE HERE]

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Sometimes, I learn about a book that’s being written that sounds very interesting to me. Most of the time, it is a book I’m anxiously waiting for because its part of a series. The best example of that this fall is Colonel Roosevelt by Edmund Morris. Its the final volume in the three volume biography of Theodore Roosevelt Morris has been working on for the last three decades. Another is the final volume in the Winston Churchill biography Last Lion by the late William Manchester. Another guy is finishing it and it is supposed to come out next year. Sometimes though, its just a book that I’ve seen and heard bits and pieces of and I’m anxious for it when it comes out. The Joseph Smith biography, Rough Stone Rolling by Richard Bushman was a book like that.

Long time listeners to my radio program know that J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings is one of my favorite books. I really enjoyed the movies as well, particularly their visual portrayals of the world I had enjoyed so much. A huge factor in the movies that is often overlooked is the terrific music composed for the movies by Howard Shore. In its full form, the Lord of the Rings films were over 11 and a half hours long. Nearly 80 percent of the movie was scored, which means Howard Shore composed nearly nine hours of music. Shore won two Oscars in three years for his efforts and the awards were well-deserved.

In 2001, musicologist Doug Adams was invited by Howard Shore to observe and document his work on the movie. I think everyone, including Adams assumed that he would be able to complete something fairly soon after the movies finished, but Adams has been working on the project for almost a decade. I’ve been curious about this book and the parts I’ve seen in various places have only increased my interest.

Just in time for Christmas Adams has finally released The Music Of the Lord of the Rings Films. [READ MORE HERE]

Producer/director Peter Jackson is celebrating. Warner Bros executives were locked in negotiations all day with New Zealand government leaders. Then Prime Minister John Key announced at a press conference tonight that The Hobbit back-to-back movies will be made in New Zealand. That's a $500+ million project, and the Hollywood studio bargained considerable perks for itself. Tax rebates of up to an extra $7.5 million per movie are arranged, subject to the success of the pics. The NZ government will offset $10 million of Warner Bros' marketing costs as part of the strategic partnership. And New Zealand will also host one of the world premieres of the Hobbit movies. The NZ Government and Warner Bros also agreed to work together in a "long-term strategic partnership" to promote New Zealand as both a film production and tourism destination. Said Key: "My Government is determined to use the opportunity that the Hobbit movies present to highlight New Zealand as a great place to visit, as well as a great place to do business." [READ MORE]

You can see more shots from the festival right here. The winners, by the way, were Alexandre Desplat, Composer of the Year, and Abel Korzeniowski, Discovery of the Year. A hearty congratulations to the winners and the nominees!

Monday, October 25, 2010

"If we take Howard Shore's musical score of The Lord of the Rings films as a musical interpretation of Tolkien's work ... then Doug Adams' book chronicling the story behind the score would be The Silmarillion."

"[T]he storytelling is outstanding. This isn't just a recitation of recording sessions and musical notes. Like The Lord of the Rings itself, this book is a journey ... Adams makes us hear the music, feel the tension or hope or despair through impassioned narrative and a rich musical vocabulary." [READ MORE HERE]

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Greetings! ScoreKeeper here to infuse your mind with good old fashioned education. This past month I posted several articles about the new book entitled The Music of THE LORD OF THE RINGS Films by Doug Adams. I wrote a brief review outlining my thoughts about the tome and interviewed the author about his experience writing it.

Now is your chance to own a copy of this glorious book for yourself. I've got one copy to give away to somebody who will forever love and cherish this epic treasure of film music analysis. [READ MORE and ENTER THE CONTEST here]

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Re-posting this report from Deadline.com. This is not the usual post for our blog, of course, but since it's been a day full of frustrating news for Tolkien-watchers, I figured we could all use a pick-me-up!

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BREAKING: While Peter Jackson and Warner Bros are figuring out where they'll shoot back-to-back installments of The Hobbit, Jackson and his partner Fran Walsh have begun to set his cast for the ambitious projects that will begin shooting in February for release in December 2012 and 2013. The castings were announced by New Line Cinema COO/president Toby Emmerich, Warner Bros COO/president Alan Horn, MGM co-CEO Steve Cooper, and Jackson. As Deadline told you last week, Martin Freeman is set to play Bilbo Baggins, the adventurous Hobbit whose adventures and discovery of the One Ring leads the story up to The Lord of the Rings. Freeman has appeared in films ranging from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Hot Fuzz to Love Actually.

Jackson has cast several other significant Dwarf characters. Richard Armitage (MI-5 and Captain America: The First Avenger) will play Thorin Oakenshield, leader of the Company of Dwarves which sets off to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from a thieving dragon. Aidan Turner (Being Human) and Rob Kazinsky (EastEnders) will play Kili and Fili, members of the Company of Dwarves. Graham McTavish (Secretariat) will play Dwalin, John Callen (Power Rangers Jungle Fury) will play Oin; Stephen Hunter (All Saints) will play Bombur, and Mark Hadlow (King Kong) plays Dori, while Peter Hambleton (The Strip) will play Gloin. That casting has just beginning, and there will be many more opportunities for the kind of career-changing roles that went in the original trilogy to the likes of Orlando Bloom, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Elijah Wood and Sean Astin. None of this is set, but I've heard that James Nesbitt and David Tennant are up for roles, and that Ian McKellan and Andy Serkis are expected to reprise Gandalf and Gollum, though I don't believe they have made deals. Stephen Fry, Saoirse Ronan and Bill Nighy (as the voice of the dragon Smaug) are possible participants, and Aiden Turner is in contention for the Elf King.

"Despite the various rumours and speculation surround this role, there has only ever been one Bilbo Baggins for us," Peter Jackson said. There are a few times in your career when you come across an actor who you know was born to play a role, but that was the case as soon as I met Martin. He is intelligent, funny, surprising and brave -- exactly like Bilbo and I feel incredibly proud to be able to announce that he is our Hobbit."

Of Armtage, Jackson said: "Richard is one of the most exciting and dynamic actors working on screen today and we know he is going to make an amazing Thorin Oakenshield. We cannot wait to start this adventure with him and feel very lucky that one of the most beloved characters in Middle Earth is in such good hands."

On his choices of Turner and Kazinsky, Jackson said, "Rob is an extremely talented young actor with a huge career in front of him. I'm thrilled that he has agreed to take on the role of Fili. Besides his talent as an actor, Rob is also a champion sword fighter and I'm looking forward to seeing the damage he can do to a horde of marauding Goblins ... Aidan is a wonderfully gifted young actor who hails from Ireland. I'm sure he will bring enormous heart and humor to the role of Kili."

As for the rest of the Dwarves played by McTavish, Callen, Hunter, Hadlow and Hambleton, Jackson said: "Graham is a terrific actor, with a great depth of experience, which I know he will bring to the role of Dwalin. I have worked with Mark Hadlow on many projects, he is a fantastic actor...I am also proud to annouce the casting of New Zealand actors as Peter Hambleton, John Callen and Stephen Hunter. Fran and I know that they will bring great depth and talent to our Company of Dwarves."

Last week in New York I sat down with Tim Grieving and FSM Online for a four-part video interview. That interview is now running in FSM Online's latest issue. Subscribers should be able to access it at the link above. Non-subscribers can click the link above to gain access, should they wish.

In the meantime, the FSM Online crew has kindly sent over this preview. Thanks go out to Jim Lochner and Justin Craig for the video.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Dan Schweiger of Film Music Magazine has kindly included The Music of the Lord of the Rings Films in his top 10 picks for October 2010:

"Adams’ observations have been bound into an impressive literary debut that will thrill both RINGS and soundtrack fans ..."

"Adams breaks down Shore’s work in a way that any movie, or music fan without a music degree can understand, complete with film artwork, behind the scenes photographs and musical charts. [His] writing is as meticulous as it is entertaining ..."

Read the full write-up -- and, if you're in a shopping mood, all 10 list entries -- right HERE.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

ScoreKeeper Interviews THE MUSIC OF "THE LORD OF THE RINGS" FILMS Author Doug Adams!

Greetings! ScoreKeeper here feeling like a Rhodes Scholar studying Tolkien literature thanks to the near decade long work of a fantastic film music historian, journalist, writer, musicologist, and lover of film music...Doug Adams.

Doug is the author of The Music of THE LORD OF THE RINGS Films which was unleashed upon the world a couple of months ago. I wrote up a little announcement about it when it first hit the streets. As a passionate lover of film music myself, it's hard to express the sheer gratitude I feel for Doug for devoting so much of his life chronicling the efforts of Howard Shore and his amazing work scoring THE LORD OF THE RINGS films. The analysis that Doug presents in this book is the result of years of labor, hundreds of hours of discussions with Howard Shore, and possibly a couple million clicks of his computer keyboard.

All that's left is best part...for us to spend a few days reading it.

This is a book that music analysis junkies and non-musical enthusiasts can appreciate equally. It's ripe with juicy musical language but it's well organized and contritely explained so that anybody can read it and understand its contextual merit. As film music lovers, we don't get books like this very often. This may be a once-in-a-lifetime publication.

Not long after the book came out I knew I wanted to interview Doug about authoring it. I didn't know much about its creation so I was eager to ask my cascading flood of questions. I could've easily spent twice as long talking with him as I did. This is an interview I'm very excited to present. Without further ado... [READ MORE HERE]

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Yet another podcast interview has gone online, this one with Movie Geeks United. Click here to give it a listen.

And, yes, I do plan on posting more than just links and videos in the near future. I'm still trying to decompress from the last month of travel, and frankly, the business and press ends are still clicking right along. I'll regain my stride soon, I'm quite confident ... I think.

Look for more on the future of the book, the blog, and upcoming projects soon!

'Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers' Live Concert Provides Thrills And Chills--By Kristen Shalbinkski

"The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" returned to the silver screen at Radio City Music Hall this October 8 and 9 for a special two-night-only engagement. The best part? The screenings featured a live symphony orchestra playing the entire score along with the movie. Ludwig Wicki conducted the orchestra, which included over 300 musicians from the 21st Century Symphony Orchestra, the Brooklyn Youth Choir and Dessoff Symphonic Choir.

Now after seeing the film with live musical accompaniment, I have to say this is what a 3-D movie should be like. Forget about cool special effects jumping out at you. Having the orchestra perched directly beneath the screen and playing the score to perfection added another layer of emotion to the film to accompany the already eye-popping 2-D visuals. The "Two Towers" soundtrack is amazing alone, but hearing it performed live in person gives you a greater appreciation for both the music and the movie. [READ MORE]

Sometimes you deliver a job and never hear another word. This can be disconcerting. One minute you are intensely focused on a mission. The next you are alone watching your child cycle off, without the trainer-wheels, suddenly redundant.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

If you're not yet sick of seeing me tell the same stories over and over, there's a new interview posted at ProSound News. Actually, it's a pretty good piece I think. Thanks go to Cliver Young for presiding over the interview! I have three more coming up later today, including ExclusiveMagazine.com, Blu-ray Journal, and MovieGeeksUnlimited. (I'm also told the the newshounds among you should keep their eyes on NBC News for a Howard Shore interview in the coming days!)

And of course, tomorrow is our big book premiere/signing at Barnes and Noble at 66th and Broadway in New York! Details are available here. If you're in town for the Radio City performances, please consider stopping by. I'm tremendously excited to be able to finally bring the book out in such high style! I might be slightly numb from the events of the past month and the incredible response to yesterday's US release, but the B&N event is very special to me. I hope you'll come share in this important night.

And speaking of Radio City, I will be signing books after the performances both nights. And yes, books will be for sale at the performances themselves as well. Spread the word!

That's it for now. Remember to keep your eyes on the Twitter feed, as my schedule is currently better suited for microblogging! See you all soon!

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Sunday, October 3, 2010

The Rarities -- “From the very first piece Shore wrote for the films (a synthesized mock-up of Shire material) through to a full nine minute alternative score for the Ring's destruction, this CD is a veritable treasure trove for fans of The Lord of the Rings music.”

The Music of the Lord of the Rings Films -- “...this book is a monumental feat, a superb resource and above all, a very enjoyable read.”

See all of TrackSounds' coverage, including a podcast interview, here!

At times I despaired this book would ever be published but, having delved into its pages, it is more than evident as to why it took almost ten years to write, for author Doug Adams, who had, even before this book was put together, written many guides and conducted numerous interviews for recordings and publications concerning the LOTR music, has obviously spent countless hours going through the films, identifying all the many themes and motifs and discovering where they appear and how they develop through the course of the trilogy.

With a Foreword by the composer himself, Howard Shore, who also contributes throughout, an Introduction by LOTR screenwriter/producer Fran Walsh, all illustrated with countless original sketches by John Howe and Alan Lee, as well as numerous colour stills from the films, this impressive tome is basically split into three sections ... [read more]

While the blog is now more active than ever, I'm probably going to have a tough time posting for the next couple of weeks. That said, I'll do my best to be present. In the meantime, I'm going to be making use of both Twitter and Facebook to try and spread the word about the book. If possible, I would ask that you please consider retweeting as much of the Twitter Feed content as possible, since that will help direct people here. At the same time, if you're not already a fan of The Music of the LOTR FilmsFacebook Page, a simple 'become a fan' would also be a big plus for us! Our numbers are growing steadily, and now we're at our big push, of course.

Speaking of Facebook, I'm told that sidebar ads for the book will begin running Tuesday, Oct. 5. If those of you on Facebook see one of these ads, please click the affixed 'LIKE.' You don't need to actually click the ad unless you want to order the book through the link ... which you are, of course, welcome to do!

I hope this isn't social media overload. I'm still getting used to the idea of living in a world where 'retweet' is a valid word! But spreading this info helps us both keep our own advertising costs down and, more importantly, keeps the book visible. Or at least that's what I'm told by those who know considerably more about this than I ever will!

And with that bit of (important) business out of the way ... This is it. This is the discussion thread that will be running when the book is available worldwide. That is an encouraging thought!

For those of you that missed the Howard Shore interview on WQXR last night, we present the full program below. It's a sizeable file, so it may take a moment to load, depending on your connection speed. Please click here to access the streaming file.

Saturday, October 2, 2010

There's never as much time as you want. That applies to every project, every trip, every encounter. It is, I daresay, a universal phenomenon. I dedicated precious little time to eating and sleeping in London, but still could have used another week -- another month -- to see the beautiful sites and thank the kind and generous people that made me feel so welcome. The UK book launch was beyond my wildest dreams, and though the crazy schedule kept me in constant motion, the week would have been a blur at any pace.

From the deepest reaches of my heart, I thank everyone that was a part of this. The book has been a compilation of files on my computer for so long, I could hardly comprehend the stacks of hard copies sitting on tables and shelves at Chappell, The Royal College of Music, The Royal Academy of Music, and Royal Albert Hall. And that's to say nothing of how gratifying it was to see the book in the hands of its readers! Speaking of ... thus far, the book sales have exceeded expectations. We actually sold out at Amazon UK, Amazon Germany, and Amazon France in a matter of four to five hours! That's absolutely unbelievable to me Rest assured, meetings were called Wednesday morning, and more stock is in transit as I type this. I'm told these Amazon sites should shipping books again in the very near future. That said, it may not be a bad idea to advise friends to order quickly, just to be safe!

... And we're not done yet! The US release is now only a few days away, which means I'll be off to New York shortly. Heading from the land of J.R.R. Tolkien to the land of Howard Shore -- I like that.

Before I'm off to the airport again, we have several busy press days lined up. In the coming week I have WBAI radio, ExclusiveMagazine.com, Blu-Ray Journal, MovieGeeksUnited, TheOneRing.net, AintItCoolNews, CBSNews, Underscores.fr ... and probably a slew of others that I'm inadvertently forgetting. Keep your eyes on the Twitter feed if you're interested in coming along for the ride. (And please consider retweeting, if you'd be so kind.)

There was also a good deal of press while I was trotting around London:

I found it interesting, this past week, that many of you asked about the future of this blog. Will it keep running now that the book has been realized? With recent announcements regarding The Hobbit's future, and Shore hinting to RAH autograph hounds that it may be time to bring LOTR's extended editions to the Live to Projection series, I feel safe stating that we'll be here for a long time to come. In my most pleasant dreams, I'd always felt the book's release could be not an ending but a beginning. Dream big, folks. It's worth it.

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